Volcanic Lava in Hawaii Destroyed Hundreds of Homes in One Night

A slow-moving flood of lava as a result of a volcanic eruption in Hawaii destroyed hundreds of additional homes overnight, and it overtook two oceanfront communities, including Kapoho Bay, according to NBC News. No injuries were reported in the damage caused by the lava flowing from the Kilauea volcano.

“We don't have an estimate yet, but safe to say that hundreds of homes were lost in Kapoho Beach Lots and Vacationland last night,” Janet Snyder, a spokeswoman for Hawaii County, told NBC News on Tuesday.

By Tuesday morning, lava had completely filled the bay, where vacationers had enjoyed tide pools, snorkeling, and picnics, Hawaii News Now reported. The lava has already destroyed hundreds of homes on the Big Island, and more than a thousand people have been forced to evacuate their homes, according to PBS Newshour.

“It's incredibly saddening,” Jason Hills, who visits Kapoho Bay yearly, told Hawaii News Now. “Kapoho Bay was just a little calm water gem where people could play, swim, hang out in the tide pools. It was green and beautiful, great trade winds, and now it's just a big hunk of lava rock.”